Woman&#39;s garment



Nov. 3', 1953 N, D N 2,657,690

WOMAN'S GARMENT Filed March 19,1952

Inventor NORMA MAIDEN Attorney patented Nov. 3, W55

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOMANS GARMENT Norma Maiden, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Application'Marc'h19, 1952,'Se1 ial'No. 277353 2 "Claims. (01. 128-289) This invention relates to improvements in a womans garment and'appertains particularly to a catamenial appliance.

An object is to provide a simple, light-weight garment to serve as a combined sanitary belt and protector.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sanitary napkin support including a crotch strap shield of minimum proportions for comfort, convenience, safety and service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a catamenial appliance having a narrow, elongated rectangular crotch strap with fiat, tapsuspended napkin attaching means at opposite ends and complementary elastic body bands on opposite sides, the crotch strap being of substantially equal width throughout its length and approximately the width of the body portion of a sanitary napkin and the over-all length of the strap being considerably less than required to pass through the wearers crotch and reach from the waist band at the front to the waistband at the rear.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a garment of the nature and for the purpose described that is characterized by a cool, airy and attractive design, offering needed protection with very little coverage, affording ready access to the person, in which the napkin can be attached and/or changed with ease, and is-capable of manufacture and sale at reasonable cost whereby the same is rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view of the garment in position on the body of the wearer;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the garment;

Figure 3 is a sectional view longitudinally through the crotch strap; and

Figure 4 is a detail of one of the napkinattaching fasteners.

The inadequacy of the conventional sanitary belt consisting of an elastic body band with a diagonally spaced pair of tabs for suspending a sanitary napkin is apparent and various types of rubberized panties and briefs to wear with such a napkin belt are available. Such auxiliary garments providing covering up to the waist-line are usually too bulky and prove warm and uncomfortable or else fail to provide the requisite protection and security.

The present napkin belt and shield provides in a one-piece garment the simplest way of attaching and-suspending a sanitary napkin, a reliable auxiliary support against the napkins accident-a1 displacement and fully satisfies the need of the discriminating user for protection against sol-ling the person or garments of the wearer with the length that is approximately equal to the width of the body portion of a conventional sanitary napkin, indicated 'at d. The complementary belt elastics are attached to the opposite sides of the strap 3 with each elastic tape running from its sides of the strap atone end to the same side of the strap'at the other end so that the two elastics together with the ends of the crotch strap 3 provide a stretchable body-encircling belt wherein the tension of the complementary elastics serves to hold the ends of the strap stretched smoothand flat.

The crotch strap shield 3 provides a moisture barrier for the retained and nested napkin t and is preferably composed of at least two layers of material, the inner of which as here shown is a waterproof lining 5 of rubber-like material such as latex, rubberized silk, plastic or the like while the outer layer 5 may be of any attractive lingerie-type material such as silk, satin, crepe, nylon or rayon. These layers of the strap are each of the same general size and configuration and are here shown as stitched together about their perimeter.

On its inner or rubber-lined side 5 the crotch strap shield 3 has a tab l for a sanitary napkin suspended therefrom at each end and preferably consisting of a short loop of satin tape to whose free inner end carries a flat and perforated plastic fastener 1b through which the narrowed ends of a sanitary napkin cover part are threaded and.

aesaeec secured on an integral tine 10. As will be noted, these napkin securing tabs are relatively short, and the front tab tape la is shorter than the rear one. It is to be noted particularly by reference to Figure 1 that the over-all length of the crotch strap is considerably less than the distance through the crotch from the wearers waist-line at the front to the waist-line at the back so that the small or power portion of the back and the abdomen of the wearer are uncovered and the belt elastics extend angularly over the thighs rather than horizontally around the waist.

Furthermore, because the crotch strap or shield 3 is of narrow, approximately crotch width throughout its length, it fits comfortably between the wearers legs and can move back and forth therebetween with relative freedom and the absence of drag or chafing as results in a form fitting crotch structure that flares or widens at front and back. The narrow strap is prevented from cutting into the crease in the buttocks by ending low at the back and having the elastic bands that extend angularly over the thighs exerting an outward pull on the top of the strap that keeps it smooth and flat. If the strap ran up higher at the back, it would tend to cut into the buttock crease and the outward pull of the elastics would occur at a level about that required to usefully hold the rear of the strap smooth and comfortable.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a womans garment is provided that will fulfil all the necessary requirements of such a garment but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention may be constructed within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A womans garment for use with a sanitary napkin comprising a narrow crotch strap of elongated rectangular form and of a length too short to extend through the crotch of the wearer from the waistline at the front to the waistline at the back, a moisture-proof lining covering the entire inner side of said strap and secured thereto about its perimeter, said lined strap being non-stretchable. and of substantially the same width for its entire length as the body portion of a sanitary napkin and thus able to fit comfortably in the crotch between the wearers legs and to move back and forth therebetween with relative freedom; napkin securing means attached on the lined side of said strap centrally thereof at each end, and an elastic belt consisting of a pair of complementary stretchable bands. one on each side of said strap and permanently attached to the opposite ends thereof substantially level and in line with the attachment of said napkin securing means to said strap ends and acting to pull the ends of said strap sideways and hold the same flat against the central sagging pull of the napkin suspended from said securing means.

2. A womans garment comprising a narrow, elongated rectangular, crotch strap of substantially equal width throughout its length and of an overall length considerably less than required to pass through wearers crotch and reach from the waistline at the front to the waistline at the rear, so that the lower portions of both the back and abdomen of the wearer remain uncovered, the rear of the strap terminating approximately level with the top of the buttock crease; a napkin suspending tab attached centrally to the very margin at each end of said strap on the inside thereof, the tab at the front being shorter than the one at the rear; and a pair of complementary thigh-encircling elastic tapes attached permanently to opposite corners of said strap at the ends thereof substantially level and in line with the attached ends of said napkin tabs to extend angularly upwards around the wearers thighs but at their highest point to reach far short of the waistline level and with the tension of the tapes on opposite sides pulling sideways on the end of the strap and serving to hold the same stretched smooth and fiat against the sag caused by the downward pull of a napkin secured to the suspending tabs centrally of the very ends of the crotch strap and eliminating the tendency of the napkin and crotch strap to out into the buttock crease of the wearer.

NORMA MAIDEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 476,676 Odell et al. June 7, 1892 2,011,027 Ballard et al Aug. 13, 1935 2,134,925 Nichols et al Nov. 1, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 782,778 France Mar. 25, 1935 

